COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Experience

Objective: The body of literature regarding coronavirus disease 2019 infection in kidney transplant recipients is growing every day but is mostly comprised of case reports, small case series, and small cohorts. The aim of the current study was to describe our experiences with coronavirus disease 2019-positive kidney transplant recipients to reduce the difficulties that these patients face with coronavirus disease 2019. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 54 kidney transplant recipients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019, between April 1, 2020, and February 1, 2021, from our Kidney Transplant Center. The participants were followed up for a period of at least 30 days or until death. Results: Of the 54 patients, 36 (66.66%) were followed up as outpatients and 18 (33.33%) were hospitalized, of which 13 (24.07%) were followed up in the service and 5 (9.26%) needed intensive care. All 5 patients (9.26%) in need of intensive care died and the remaining 49 (90.74%) recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 infection. None of the patients developed graft loss during follow-up. Conclusion: The results indicated that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and lactate dehydrogenase-to-lymphocyte ratio can be used to support the diagnosis and determine prognosis in kidney transplant recipients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019. In both the group comparisons and univariate logistic regression analyses, smoking was seen to be a significant risk factor for the development of pneumonia and mortality due to coronavirus disease 2019. Therefore, all patients must be strongly reminded and encouraged to stop smoking.